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So You Want to Be a Librarian
Librarians tend to love their work and consider librarianship a great career. This book is by a talented librarian who wants to introduce people, especially people searching for the right career, to the profession. It answers such questions as: What do librarians do? What are the different types of libraries and professional jobs in libraries? What are librarians all about and what hot issues do they discuss in their professional lives? What do I do to become a librarian? What are some important things to know once I'm in a masters program in library science? This book is an essential introduction to the profession for someone who is at the point of choosing a career.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
26 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 22, 2023
Very informative book for people interested in librarianship. I never knew that there were 4 types of libraries and that you need a Master’s Degree in Library Studies just to get an entry level librarian position.
Librarians are intelligent people and I wish I had more librarian friends to guide me under their wing and give me advice on things and what steps to take.
#LibrariansAreAwesome!!
Librarians are intelligent people and I wish I had more librarian friends to guide me under their wing and give me advice on things and what steps to take.
#LibrariansAreAwesome!!
June 16, 2017
This is absolutely the perfect book for helping someone interested in librarianship learn about the career and how to get the position they want.
This book started by talking about the different types of libraries and the different library jobs within libraries. Then it discussed what a Masters in Library Science is and how to go about picking a Library school and what you would need to get into it and how to make the most of your experience.
There were tons of resources at the end of each chapter and collected at the end of the book, like further reading, and websites linked to databases and organizations. There were even some brief interviews in the back of the book for several different library positions with the librarians doing that job.
If you're considering becoming a librarian of some sort but don't know what specific job you want within the field or want to learn more about what the job is like or how to get it, this is absolutely the book you need to start with. 10/10
This book started by talking about the different types of libraries and the different library jobs within libraries. Then it discussed what a Masters in Library Science is and how to go about picking a Library school and what you would need to get into it and how to make the most of your experience.
There were tons of resources at the end of each chapter and collected at the end of the book, like further reading, and websites linked to databases and organizations. There were even some brief interviews in the back of the book for several different library positions with the librarians doing that job.
If you're considering becoming a librarian of some sort but don't know what specific job you want within the field or want to learn more about what the job is like or how to get it, this is absolutely the book you need to start with. 10/10
April 14, 2016
Overall, I think this is an excellent resource for anyone pursuing a career as a librarian. As a library school student, I think she does a very accurate and honest job of telling you what it is like and her tips for school survival are great. If she is this good at describing the school experience, I think it is safe to assume her advice and discussion for the actual work of being a librarian is accurate as well.
January 2, 2019
I worked at my local community college library as a student just out of high school. I loved the work but after I graduated I moved on to other jobs and life. Now I'm 20 years out of school and working in a public library. I've found myself curious to know more about becoming an actual librarian and this book was a great resource.
It describes the four major types of libraries: academic, public, school, and special. From there the book explains specific skills or personal attributes that would be helpful for each of the four types.
There's a great section on the different types of librarians there are, including cataloguers, technical services, youth services, and research. It was a peek behind the curtain, including interviews with a smattering of real life librarians in different specialties.
There were a few typos here and there, but overall the book was a great resource to help demystify the profession.
It describes the four major types of libraries: academic, public, school, and special. From there the book explains specific skills or personal attributes that would be helpful for each of the four types.
There's a great section on the different types of librarians there are, including cataloguers, technical services, youth services, and research. It was a peek behind the curtain, including interviews with a smattering of real life librarians in different specialties.
There were a few typos here and there, but overall the book was a great resource to help demystify the profession.
April 30, 2024
I read this for a research project on librarians. It has a lot of helpful, detailed information about what they do and what it’s like to become one. My biggest issue with this book is just that it is at times very redundant.
May 2, 2019
This is absolutely the perfect book for helping someone interested in librarianship learn about the career and how to get the position they want.
This book started by talking about the different types of libraries and the different library jobs within libraries. Then it discussed what a Masters in Library Science is and how to go about picking a Library school and what you would need to get into it and how to make the most of your experience.
There were tons of resources at the end of each chapter and collected at the end of the book, like further reading, and websites linked to databases and organizations. There were even some brief interviews in the back of the book for several different library positions with the librarians doing that job.
If you're considering becoming a librarian of some sort but don't know what specific job you want within the field or want to learn more about what the job is like or how to get it, this is absolutely the book you need to start with. 10/10
~Shay
This book started by talking about the different types of libraries and the different library jobs within libraries. Then it discussed what a Masters in Library Science is and how to go about picking a Library school and what you would need to get into it and how to make the most of your experience.
There were tons of resources at the end of each chapter and collected at the end of the book, like further reading, and websites linked to databases and organizations. There were even some brief interviews in the back of the book for several different library positions with the librarians doing that job.
If you're considering becoming a librarian of some sort but don't know what specific job you want within the field or want to learn more about what the job is like or how to get it, this is absolutely the book you need to start with. 10/10
~Shay
December 2, 2022
This book is excellent and extremely helpful to me as somebody who is planning on starting a MLIS program soon! I can definitely see myself referring back to this in the future.
It's a quick read but very informative. It's packed full of content but not overwhelming. I really loved how, in addition to her own input and advice, the author provided a lot of information on outside resources. The book also contains interviews from other librarians and a useful glossary.
Some of the info is a bit outdated, especially regarding technology. This is unavoidable, as the book is from 2009. Either way, all of the general concepts and ideas are still very relevant.
I rated this 4 stars instead of 5, mainly because there was quite a bit of repetitiveness throughout the text. I also noticed some grammatical errors, but nothing too "offending," and these were infrequent.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the field of librarianship!
It's a quick read but very informative. It's packed full of content but not overwhelming. I really loved how, in addition to her own input and advice, the author provided a lot of information on outside resources. The book also contains interviews from other librarians and a useful glossary.
Some of the info is a bit outdated, especially regarding technology. This is unavoidable, as the book is from 2009. Either way, all of the general concepts and ideas are still very relevant.
I rated this 4 stars instead of 5, mainly because there was quite a bit of repetitiveness throughout the text. I also noticed some grammatical errors, but nothing too "offending," and these were infrequent.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the field of librarianship!
February 21, 2015
Provides a great introduction to the world of libraries and librarianship for those contemplating a career in the field. Having recently been accepted to an MLIS program myself, I feel like this book has helped to give me a sense for the opportunities that await. I found the interviews at the end of the book to be the perfect complement to the overview provided in the rest. Highly recommended.
July 30, 2020
I picked up this book because I wanted to know a lot more about the librarianship field. This book is good for those who do not have a clue about librarianship and are interested in pursuing a career as a librarian.
I loved this book overall though. It helped me understand what librarianship entails as well as the steps to take towards becoming a librarian.
I loved this book overall though. It helped me understand what librarianship entails as well as the steps to take towards becoming a librarian.
May 13, 2015
There were a few useful bits of information in here, but overall, I didn't feel like I learned very much. I wish it had gone more in depth on some subjects. Instead, there were a few that felt like they were repeated over and over in each chapter.
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May 16, 2015Insightful
This book offers nice information and thoughts on thinking about becoming a librarian. Unfortunately it is very repetitive and could have used some more editing before publishing. (Typos!!!)
This book offers nice information and thoughts on thinking about becoming a librarian. Unfortunately it is very repetitive and could have used some more editing before publishing. (Typos!!!)
February 22, 2020
Good introduction to librarianship. However, it was a bit repetitive.
May 24, 2013
Awesome resource!
February 3, 2015
Great layout of the profession and the different paths available in librarianship
February 16, 2015
(More like 3.5 stars, I think.)
Though the book itself is a little repetitive and ultimately geared towards those younger than myself, it provides what I hope is a decent overview of the profession.
Though the book itself is a little repetitive and ultimately geared towards those younger than myself, it provides what I hope is a decent overview of the profession.
June 23, 2019
extremely repetitive but I love the effort, care, and love that went into it. Also super helpful. This book summarized the same info I found through hours of reading librarian blogs
February 11, 2023
So You Want to Be a Librarian contained some good information for those of us considering a move to the field. I appreciated how it was laid out: the content was organized into types of libraries, types of jobs in a library, "current" (as of the book's publication in 2009) issues in librarianship, and considerations for grad school. My favorite part was the interviews with current librarians at the end of the book.
However, the book could use a serious proofreading pass - lots of typos and missing words throughout. I found some of the information to be redundant between chapters, too. There also was very little mention of the increasing role of libraries as day shelters for homeless and disadvantaged folks, a topic I know is very relevant to the field right now.
Overall: a useful book, but not perfect. I don't know that there are many other books like this that exist, so definitely worth a read for me and others who might be considering moving into librarianship.
However, the book could use a serious proofreading pass - lots of typos and missing words throughout. I found some of the information to be redundant between chapters, too. There also was very little mention of the increasing role of libraries as day shelters for homeless and disadvantaged folks, a topic I know is very relevant to the field right now.
Overall: a useful book, but not perfect. I don't know that there are many other books like this that exist, so definitely worth a read for me and others who might be considering moving into librarianship.
January 8, 2024
A fine intro into librarianship and has a lot of good information concerning the career in general and the types of jobs available. One of my recommended readings before starting graduate school. Having worked in an archive for the past 5 years there was much that I already knew or could guess at, but it was nice to read about the types of positions out there in the field and the challenges different ones might face. Overall a good book to read if you are interested in working in an archive or library, but maybe not as helpful if you've already been in the field for some time.
January 26, 2022
Good general information. Very repetitive. With this ebook format, it was difficult to follow the organization of the book. All headings and subheadings looked exactly the same, which was frustrating.
April 23, 2020
Self-published (typos abound) and a bit dated for what I was looking for, but a good for inspiring questions and reflections about library work as a career choice.
November 5, 2025
shout out to this cute little book for making me believe this career was possible :') i graduate library school in less than a month.
May 22, 2014
I read this book because I have been toying with the idea of changing fields to libriarianship these past few years, and am now researching it in earnest. This book is truly an excellent resource for anyone considering moving to the field of librarianship. The first section of the book provides detail about the many specialties and subdivisions of librarianship, and highlights many of the issues facing the field. The latter portion of the book deals more with the MLIS- how to choose a program, tips on application packets, what to do while you are in school to give yourself an edge later, and finally, some information on job hunting once you have completed a program. In the appendix, there are interviews with librarians from different specialties, to give you some insight, in their own words. Truthfully, I was hoping that reading through this would discourage me from wanting to pursue this degree- the thought of going back to school and taking on more debt when I have yet to pay off my undergraduate degree is not an appealing one. On the contrary, reading through this reaffirmed that it would probably be a pretty good fit for me. I am still doing some additional research in other places, and some informational interviews with librarians, but this book is an outstanding "starting point" resource for anyone considering librarianship.
August 29, 2016
Obviously by the title one can see what I am striving to become. Even though I have done my share of research on librarianship, it is always nice to read others thoughts also. I really enjoyed So You Want to Be a Librarian. The information was straight forward and the extras and links at the end of most of the chapters were much appreciated. I will possibly refer back to this book for reference more as I search out my path while applying to grad school and picking my area that I want to specialize in. Again a very good informational read for someone that is in the beginning stages of wanting to choose this career path.
August 19, 2010
I really enjoyed reading this book as I prepare to apply for library science school! While the overview of different types a libraries was mostly a refresher for me, as a current library employee, I appreciated the review of how expansive the field of librarianship is. I especially enjoyed the interviews of librarians in different areas of librarianship, and the list of recommended websites in the back of the book is quite good.
June 16, 2014
I had hoped this book would help me decide whether I should article, go to library school, or choose something entirely different... no such luck. It didn't really improve my understanding of what being a librarian entails at all - the information was all fairly obvious, which is not really a comfort given that I knew what being a lawyer would entail but had no way of predicting my extreme contempt for the profession.
November 8, 2011
It had some helpful advice, but the lady needs to get a better editor. SO. MANY. TYPOS.
February 5, 2014
So you're a 16-year-old who wants to be a librarian...
Useful overview of the profession for younger folk than I. But it's now four years old and needs an update.
Useful overview of the profession for younger folk than I. But it's now four years old and needs an update.
July 4, 2013
Well, probably not anymore.
April 29, 2017
Although some specifics are a bit dated (ahem, MySpace) this book still provides an incredibly comprehensive overview of the profession. It really should be required reading before embarking on graduate library studies, as it mentions (at least twice) that if you become a librarian, you are joining a group of people with particular "values". I think in reality, not everyone understands this (or maybe they understand but don't necessarily care?). The point is, people choose jobs for many random reasons, and reading a book like this is a good way to make a more informed choice.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews